


Crash

by indiegal85



Series: Ain’t No Mountain [1]
Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-20
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2019-02-17 16:23:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,196
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13080699
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/indiegal85/pseuds/indiegal85
Summary: Cornwell and Tilly are on their way to Starbase 46 when an accident leaves them stranded on a nearby planet. Set after the mid-season finale.





	1. Chapter 1

‘Shit shit shit!’ shouted Cadet Tilly as alarms went off all around her. ‘I can’t contain it Admiral, it’s set off some kind of..’

Her words were cut off as a massive explosion rocked the cabin of the small shuttle and Admiral Cornwell flew across the room to land unmoving by Tilly’s feet.

‘Shit!’ repeated Tilly, taking one last look at her readings before running to the aft lockers and pulling out several bags. Throwing these over her shoulders, she returned to the inert body of the Admiral and hauled her as upright as she could manage. Flames were licking their way up the console Cornwell had been working at and steadily engulfing everything in their way. ‘Computer, emergency beamout to the planet’s surface, now!’ The shuttle dissolved around them and then Tilly felt solid ground under her feet. 

* * *

   
The first thing Katrina registered as she came to was the sound of birdsong, which was unusual enough for her to notice. The second thing she registered was a blinding headache which came into being as she tried to sit up. She fell back to the ground with a groan, noticing several other aches and pains as she did so.

‘Hey there, take it easy Admiral,’ a voice said suddenly beside her and she opened her eyes again. The concerned face of Cadet Sylvia Tilly was hovering over her, her hands brandishing what looked like a medical tricorder which she was waving slightly ineptly at Katrina. ‘You’ve got a mild concussion and some pretty bad bruising.’ Tilly made a sympathetic grimace. ‘Can’t catch a break, huh?’

It all came flooding back; the Klingon ship, the rescue, the emergency surgery and the transfer by shuttle back to Starbase 46. Except they clearly hadn’t quite made it there. More slowly this time, she pulled herself into a sitting position and winced.

‘What happened, Cadet?’ She winced again at how hoarse her voice came out. Tilly handed her a flask of water before answering which she sipped from gratefully.

‘I’m not exactly sure Admiral, we hit some kind of explosive which took out our engines and sent us on a collision course with the planet. You were knocked unconscious when your console exploded but we still had transporter control so I grabbed a couple of kit bags and beamed us down before it was too late. I hope I did the right thing.’ Tilly was gnawing on her lip with worry.

‘You did very well Cadet, I’m impressed.’ Katrina smiled at the look of relief on the redhead’s face and took another sip of water. ‘Do we have any pain meds?’ Tilly rummaged quickly inside a satchel lying a few feet away on the ground, emerging with a hypospray that she promptly held to Katrina’s neck. Katrina heard the hiss and sighed in relief a few moments later as the medication took effect. ‘Thank you.’ Tilly smiled. ‘How long was I out?’

‘Just a few minutes sir, I’ve started the emergency beacon and I was working on getting the tent set up.’ Katrina followed her gaze over her shoulder to where there was indeed a mess of fabric and poles lying on the ground. Hiding her amused snort, she looked back at Tilly.

‘Not done much camping have you?’ she said with a grin and was entertained to see the blush spread across the girl’s cheeks. ‘At ease, Cadet, I’m just messing with you. I’ll give you a hand.’ Ignoring Tilly’s half formed protestations, Katrina eased herself into a standing position and waited for a moment for the spinning to die down. Making her way gingerly across the clearing, she looked at the ‘tent’. With much pointing and correcting from Katrina and running around from Tilly they got the thing erected and stood back to survey their handiwork. It was a basic four man tent, just high enough for the two women to stand in, with a rain porch and a plastic window on one side. The clearing they were in had a kind of rocky shale underfoot so they’d cleared as much of this as possible and aimed the door in what they thought was the opposite direction from the prevailing wind. It would do.

‘Not bad for a first timer,’ she aimed at Tilly with a wry smile before turning her attention to the other bags. ‘Any ideas what else you managed to grab?’ Tilly headed over to her and knelt down next to them.

‘This one should be emergency rations,’ she said, indicating the square grey one nearest her. Pulling it towards her, she opened the zip to reveal the unmistakable packaging of the Starfleet issue bars. Both women breathed a sigh of relief. ‘This one is medical supplies,’ Tilly indicated the open satchel with the medical tricorder she had been using earlier on top, ‘and I’m not sure about the last one. It was in with the tent.’ Katrina stooped for it and found a small bag containing a couple of blankets and some extra clothes.

‘Very well done Cadet, this should be more than enough to keep us comfortable until we’re rescued. Full marks for quick thinking.’ Tilly blushed again but met Katrina’s eyes and replied with a formal thank you. A gust of wind blew through the clearing and both women shivered. ‘We should get a fire going,’ muttered Katrina, looking around for a good spot. ‘You check the beacon’s working properly and I’ll get started on that.’ Instead of agreeing, however, Tilly planted her feet and looked Katrina in the eye.

‘With all due respect, sir, you have a concussion. You should sit down and rest while I get the fire started.’ Katrina started to argue, but Tilly’s words brought her headache to the forefront of her thoughts again. With a grimace and a nod, she made her way over to the door of the tent and sat down. Tilly frowned.

‘Is anything hurting still? I didn’t have a chance to do more than a rudimentary check and I’m not medically trained..’ she trailed off as Katrina raised an eyebrow.

‘Luckily I am,’ she smirked, watching the blush yet again on Tilly’s cheeks as the girl realised she was talking to one of the highest ranking doctors in Starfleet. ‘Hand me that tricorder and I’ll check us both out.’ Running the device over the cadet she was happy to note nothing worse than a couple of scratches. Turning it onto herself, she was less pleased. The concussion Tilly had mentioned was there, which meant she’d have to take it easy for a couple of days when she’d rather be exploring her surroundings. She also had severe bruising and a few abrasions down one side of her body, presumably where she’d landed after being knocked out. Still, neither of them had any problems that required more serious medical attention which was a relief when they were stranded miles from civilisation. That reminded her of another question and she turned to Tilly. ‘Any ideas where we are, Cadet?’

Tilly paused for a moment to aim her phaser at the pile of wood she’d amassed and fire, aiming a steady stream at the middle until it caught alight. Placing the weapon back on her belt she turned back to Katrina.

‘Yes sir, we’re on the fourth planet of the Ceti system, I’m guessing on the Northern continent from the climate and the landscape.’ Both women looked around them, Katrina taking note of their surroundings for the first time. She mentally scolded herself for not looking earlier, before remembering that she was suffering from a concussion and wasn’t quite functioning normally. They were at the foot of a gradual incline, in a small clearing about four times as large as their tent, surrounded by tall trees that reminded her of pines. In the distance she thought she could see mountains. The sky was a pale lavender colour and she could see two moons in the sky already.

‘Ceti IV huh? I suppose we could have picked a worse spot for a holiday,’ she grinned at Tilly who responded with a smile of her own. ‘Any ideas how long it’ll take for Starfleet to pick up our signal?’

‘I was planning on working on that tomorrow, sir,’ she responded. ‘I’m guessing we don’t have much time before sundown and I wanted to finish getting set up before night falls.’ Katrina nodded.

‘Go ahead, Cadet.’ She watched as Tilly busied herself with collecting more firewood, checking the beacon and getting all the bags into the tent. By the time she had finished, night had nearly fallen and the temperature was dropping. ‘That’s enough for tonight,’ Katrina called to Tilly who was adding more wood to the fire. ‘Let’s get inside.’

Tilly crossed the small distance to the tent and clambered in. Once Katrina had joined her, she activated the torch from her belt and zipped up the door. ‘All set,’ she said with a smile. ‘What’s for dinner?’ Katrina barked a laugh.

‘I admire your spirit kid,’ she said with a grin as Tilly handed her one of the ration packs and a flask of water.

‘A little bit of optimism never hurt anyone,’ Tilly remarked. ‘A situation is only ever as bad as you make it.’

Katrina had a sudden vivid image of herself lying on the floor in a Klingon prison cell. Tilly’s voice seemed to be coming from a long way away as she saw her torturers coming for her, felt the sting as their knives cut through her uniform and sliced her skin. She would not give in, would not tell them anything..

‘Admiral!’

Gasping, Katrina came back to the present. She was sitting on the floor of the tent, sweat dripping down her face and shaking violently. She took several long slow breaths and forced herself to look into the worried face of Tilly.

‘Sorry,’ she rasped out. ‘I’m still suffering from the after effects of the trauma. I was supposed to be going for another psych eval when we got to the base but..’ she trailed off, unable to continue. Slowly the shaking abated and her breathing returned to normal. She became aware that Tilly hadn’t moved and her expression was still frozen. ‘I’m ok. I just need a minute. Are you?’ Tilly seemed to shake herself.

‘Uhh yeah, I guess so. What was that?! You were completely gone, just all of a sudden, you were here and then you weren’t!’ Katrina chuckled darkly.

‘You’ve just described the effects of a PTSD attack very accurately for someone with no medical training.’

‘PTSD?’ Tilly asked, confusion still etched across her face. Then realisation dawned. ‘Ohh.. you never had a chance to process your experiences on the Klingon ship before we landed here.’ Katrina nodded, still not totally in control. Tilly’s expression cleared. ‘Then you’d better teach me how to help you come out of it so I can help next time.’ Katrina huffed a laugh.

‘You make it sound so simple.’

‘Why can’t it be?’

* * *

   
A short while later, after Katrina had got a hold of herself again and had something to eat and drink, she talked Tilly through the best ways to help someone in shock. Tilly listened to it all with a serious expression, nodding and asking the occasional question as she absorbed the information. Afterwards, Katrina had her repeat everything back to her and was impressed to note the level of understanding behind what she said.

‘We should get some rest,’ Katrina said when they had finished. ‘Let’s get those blankets out.’ Tilly located the bag amongst the rest of the kit and made them some makeshift beds. There was a slight awkwardness as they both lay down on opposite sides of the tent and Tilly turned her torch off. After a moment’s silence, Katrina spoke.

‘I should probably warn you, I’m still suffering from some pretty bad nightmares,’ she said quietly. ‘I’ll probably wake you up by screaming a couple of times in the night.’ She heard the rustle of blankets and saw the dim outline of Tilly rolling over to face her.

‘That’s ok,’ she replied. ‘My little brother used to get night terrors so I’m kinda used to it.’ After a pause, she added, ‘I snore pretty loudly.’ Katrina snorted and she could hear Tilly’s answering laugh from across the tent.

‘I guess we’ll wake each other up then,’ Katrina responded. ‘Good luck.’

* * *

   
The first time they woke up, it was to Katrina sitting bolt upright with a scream that scared even her. Drawing in ragged breaths, she tried to focus on Tilly’s voice as the girl reassured her that what she was seeing was not real, that she was safe. Gradually her heartbeat slowed, and eventually they both calmed enough to lie down again. Shortly after that, Katrina learned exactly what Tilly had meant when she said she snored loudly.

The second time they woke up, Katrina’s screaming took longer to stop and dissolved into body wracking sobs that wouldn’t stop until Tilly scooted across the small space separating them and put her arms around the older woman. Katrina responded without thinking about it, clinging to the redhead and gasping into her shoulder as Tilly stroked her hair and whispered calming words into her ear. After a few minutes with no sign of improvement, Tilly manoeuvred them both into a lying down position and Katrina clung even closer. Eventually however, the crying turned to whimpers and her breathing evened out, still resting with her head on Tilly’s chest.

That was how they woke up in the morning.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m aware this might seem like a weird pairing at first, but stick around to see how it turns out. Let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rating change for nudity and f-bombs

Katrina woke up to an odd sound very close to her head. She immediately tensed, anticipating some new method of torture but before she could panic, her mind caught up with her and she remembered she was no longer on the Klingon ship and she was lying with her head pillowed on something soft and warm. Just as she realised the noise was the sound of Tilly’s snoring, she noticed it had stopped. Opening her eyes and lifting her head, she saw the redhead doing the same. Unsure how to react, she gently released her hold on the girl and rolled off her.

‘Good morning,’ she offered. ‘Thank you for your help last night. I apologise for falling asleep on you.’

Tilly relaxed slightly but didn’t smile. ‘That’s ok. I, uh, I’m sorry if I crossed the line. You didn’t seem to be calming down and I didn’t know what else to do..’ Katrina cut her off by touching her gently on the hand.

‘It’s fine. I can’t say it’s a technique I’ve ever tried myself with my trauma patients but it seemed to work.’ When Tilly still looked worried, she added, ‘And you really do snore.’ Tilly finally cracked a smile.

‘I know. It’s a medical condition, I wasn’t supposed to have a roommate because of it, which kind of sucked, but then I got lucky when Michael joined the ship..’ Realising she was rambling, Tilly fell silent again. Katrina sat up, pleased to note no dizziness from the movement and barely any headache.

‘Let’s get some breakfast,’ she said to fill the sudden awkward silence.

‘Yes, Admiral,’ Tilly responded, and Katrina frowned.

‘Seeing as I spent the night sleeping on you and there’s nobody else here, how about we dispense with the titles. Call me Kat. Or Katrina, if you prefer.’ Tilly nodded slightly awkwardly.

‘Everyone just calls me Tilly. I don’t really like Sylvia.’ Katrina smiled.

‘Tilly suits you better.’

‘I know, right? Sylvia is someone’s Gran.’ Both women laughed and the atmosphere inside the tent thawed a little. Katrina grabbed them a couple of ration bars and they munched on them in silence. Once they were finished, they unzipped the tent and climbed out.

‘I could do with a wash,’ Katrina admitted, ‘Let’s take a walk and see if there’s any water nearby. We’ll need it for drinking too if we’re here much longer.’ Tilly nodded.

‘Yes si.. Katrina’ she amended. Katrina chuckled as Tilly ducked back into the tent to grab supplies. When she returned with a small bag and various pieces attached to her belt, they started out of the camp. With the help of a tricorder and a standard grid pattern, they soon found a small stream. Tilly stooped to test it and reported all clear. Both women refilled their drinking flasks before Katrina dipped a hand in.

‘Feels like winter run-off,’ she remarked with a grimace. ‘I think I’d rather be cold than filthy though.’ She glanced up at Tilly. ‘Would you mind?’ When the girl still looked confused, Katrina made a twirling motion with her finger. Comprehension dawned and Tilly blushed.

‘Oh, sorry!’ she stammered and turned her back. Katrina wasted no time in shedding her uniform and stepping in.

‘Fuck that’s cold!’ she swore breathlessly, and Tilly giggled. The water only came up to her waist so she splashed it up her body and onto her face, wiping away the blood and grime left over from the crash as quickly as she could. A cursory examination revealed large amounts of bruising running up her left side from the top of her thigh to her ribs, with a smattering of grazing on top. Her teeth chattering now, she climbed out and rubbed herself dry vigorously on a blanket. Tilly held a clean uniform out to her without fully turning around and Katrina dressed as quickly as possible.

‘Much better,’ she sighed, and Tilly turned around.

‘Clean is good,’ she agreed, eyeing Katrina’s no longer dirt covered face and uniform. ‘You look better.’ Warily she turned to look at the stream.. ‘I suppose I should..’

‘Yes, you should,’ agreed Katrina firmly, giving the girl a little shove and turning her back.

‘Ok, here’s the thing though..’ she heard the girl say from behind her and turned back around. Tilly was fiddling nervously with the hem of her uniform and not meeting Katrina’s eyes. ‘I’ve never really liked water and this is kind of fast moving and probably really cold so if it’s ok with you, do you think you could maybe.. keep an eye on me?’ Katrina understood.

‘You want me to make sure you don’t get swept away?’ Tilly nodded, still looking uncomfortable. ‘No problem. It’s actually safer that way, I just still have some.. issues.. I need to work through. Go ahead when you’re ready.’ Tilly reluctantly stepped over the the water’s edge and stripped off her uniform. Katrina tried not to look but Tilly’s completely unselfconscious attitude towards her nudity made her feel slightly silly. Tilly poked a toe into the water and shrieked, turning to Katrina with a look of horror.

‘You put your whole body in here?! It’s fucking freezing!’ Katrina chuckled.

‘Don’t make me push you..’

With a grumble, Tilly turned back to the stream, took a deep breath and plunged in completely, coming up a couple of seconds later with a steady stream of expletives issuing from her mouth that didn’t abate even as the girl gave herself the speediest scrubbing Katrina had ever seen and clambered as quickly as possible out of the water. She was still going when Katrina handed her a fresh uniform, although the volume had lessened considerably, and it wasn’t until Tilly had zipped her jacket all the way up to her chin that she looked at Katrina with a glower and said,

‘You can stop laughing now.’ Abruptly Katrina stopped, and Tilly cocked her head. ‘You didn’t know you were doing it.’

‘It’s been a while since I had anything to laugh about,’ Katrina admitted. Tilly gave her an unreadable smile and squeezed her shoulder briefly. ‘Let’s head back to camp.’

* * *

   
On the way back to their campsite they discussed the agenda for the rest of the day, and when they arrived a few minutes later they both got started on their respective jobs. Tilly added more wood to the fire while Katrina sat down on a nearby log and started jotting down all the information she could remember on last known positions of their ships. Halfway through, however, she felt her head starting to throb again. As subtly as she could, she returned to the tent and tried to discreetly take some more pain meds but Tilly was too sharp-eyed for her.

‘Shit, I’m so sorry, I’m the worst crash buddy ever! You’ve still got concussion and I haven’t even checked to see how you are today! Sit right back down and I’ll get you sorted.’ Katrina found herself being manhandled back to her seat and felt the spray as Tilly gave her the pain relief. A second later she was back with the tricorder, running scans in a much more professional way that made Katrina feel sure she’d been watching her yesterday. Her tongue poked out as she worked which Katrina thought was vaguely adorable. ‘You’ve still got slight concussion – better than yesterday, but,’ she winced, ‘The bruising is worse. Let me bring you the medkit over and you can see if we’ve got anything that’ll help.’ She was back a minute later with the bag, which turned out to contain a small regen unit. Katrina handed it to Tilly with instructions on how to use it, then reluctantly took off her jacket and pulled up the side of her t-shirt. Tilly let out a small intake of breath but didn’t say anything. After a couple of passes, she stopped. ‘This is going to be easier for us both if you lie down. Let’s go inside.’

Once they had relocated and Katrina was lying on her side, Tilly resumed her efforts. After a couple of minutes, she asked quietly, ‘Why didn’t you say anything earlier?’ Katrina didn’t answer. Just as she was about to, Tilly spoke up again. ‘It’s ok, you know, to ask for help. It doesn’t mean you’re weak, or not good enough. You of all people should know that.’

‘I know. I just forget, sometimes.’

* * *

   
Katrina woke on her own a short while later, slightly confused but feeling better for a nap. She checked the bruising before she left the tent and was pleased to note it looked much healthier. Tilly smiled at her as she climbed out.

‘Hi. How are you feeling?’

‘Much better, thank you. How long did I sleep for?’

‘Oh, not long, you dozed off just as I was finishing up but I figured you needed the rest.’ Katrina nodded and sat down next to her. ‘I was just going over the information you’d written down about our ships’ locations. As far as I can make out, the signal from the beacon should be picked up sometime in the next couple of days and we can expect rescue not too long after that, depending on what’s going on with the Klingons.’

‘I wouldn’t imagine we’re a priority,’ Katrina said drily, and Tilly gave her a stern look.

‘I might not be but you are, Admiral Katrina.’ Katrina smiled and looked away.

‘Looks like we’ll get a chance to do a bit of exploring after all. I should be up for a bit of a hike tomorrow. How about you?’ Tilly didn’t look that enthused.

‘Yay, exercise,’ she said, and Katrina had to laugh at her tone. ‘You’re as bad as Michael.’

‘Oh?’

‘Michael says if I want to make Captain one day I need to excel in all areas. She makes me go jogging.’ Tilly grimaced. ‘I’m getting better, but it’s not exactly my thing.’

‘What is your thing?’ Katrina asked, curious. Tilly shrugged.

‘Science. Movies. People.’ Katrina laughed.

‘In that order?’ Tilly shrugged again.

‘There isn’t really much time for hobbies on _Discovery_.’

‘I can imagine,’ Katrina said wryly. ‘She’s right though, you know. Burnham. You don’t make Captain unless you can do it all.’

‘Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence Kat!’ Both women laughed, but Katrina turned serious again quickly.

‘I never said you couldn’t. I have full confidence that you’ll be a great Captain one day.’

The smile Tilly gave her in reply made Katrina’s stomach turn in a way she hadn’t felt in years.

* * *

   
When night fell, there was a certain awkwardness in their preparations for bed. While Katrina was fairly certain that Tilly’s closeness was the reason she hadn’t had any more nightmares the night before, she wasn’t sure how the girl would respond if she broached the subject again. However, Tilly seemed to be thinking along the same lines.

‘So..’ she started hesitantly. ‘Your nightmares seemed better last night, after, you know..’ Tilly made some kind of gesture with her arms that Katrina presumed was meant to indicate a hug. ‘Do you think it would help again?’

‘Would you mind?’ Katrina asked, relieved. ‘Only I slept better last night than I have in weeks.’ They shuffled their blankets together and then paused again, Tilly giggling slightly with her nervousness.

‘You’d think I’d never slept with anyone before!’ She froze, her cheeks flooding red and her eyes going wide. Katrina raised her eyebrows. ‘Shit, I didn’t mean…’ she stuttered, before Katrina cut her off with a smile.

‘I know what you meant. Now let’s get some rest.’

They ended up lying on their sides with Tilly spooned up against Katrina’s back and her arm around her. It took a while for Katrina to relax, but it was hard not to with the reassuring warmth of Tilly’s body pressing against her and the weight of her arm around her waist. Eventually both women drifted off to sleep.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

Katrina awoke slowly, feeling more rested than she had in weeks. She was warm and comfortable, curled up against a soft body with an arm wrapped around her. Slowly it registered that she had not only had a nightmare free night, she hadn’t even moved. She was just wondering how to free herself from the girl’s hold without waking her when Tilly spoke quietly.

‘It’s ok, I’m awake.’ Katrina rolled onto her back but stayed in Tilly’s arms. Tilly smiled at her. ‘Good morning.’

‘That was the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a very long time,’ Katrina admitted. ‘I may have to keep you.’ Tilly giggled.

‘What’s the plan for today then? How are you feeling?’ Katrina tentatively felt her bruised side.

‘Ok, I think. Let’s go for a bit of an explore and see what we can find.’ They let go of each other and sat up, Katrina running her hands through her hair in disgust. ‘When we get back I’m going to recommend they add hairbrushes to the survival kit.’ Tilly laughed out loud.

‘I can plait it for you if you like?’ she offered. Katrina gave her a mock glare.

‘You think I can’t plait my own hair Cadet?’ Tilly stuck her tongue out at her in response and both women laughed.

After a quick breakfast of ration bars, they set off up the hill. Katrina’s logic was that should they find a summit, they would have an excellent view of the surrounding area and Tilly had agreed. As they walked they chatted, Tilly sharing stories of her home and her childhood and Katrina mostly relating adventures from her days serving as ship’s counsellor. She also had Tilly in stitches with tales of the trouble she’d got into with Captain Lorca back in their academy days.

‘I know it’s none of my business..’ Tilly asked after a couple of minutes of silence, ‘But are you and the Captain..?’ She hesitated, unable to find the right word.

‘No,’ replied Katrina, surprising herself with the strength of her denial. ‘I mean, we have, a few times, but we’re just friends.’ She sighed. ‘Actually, I’m not even sure we’re that anymore.’ At Tilly’s questioning look, she shook her head. ‘Never mind. It’s complicated.’ After a pause, she asked, ‘And you, do you have.. a partner?’ Tilly shook her head fervently.

‘Nooo, definitely not. Lieutenant Rhys was after me at the last party, but I heard bad things about him from Ensign Mason, and anyway, I usually prefer girls.’ She caught Katrina’s eye as she said the last bit, and Katrina found herself blushing. Looking away to hide her confusion, she realised they had reached a point of the hill where the ‘path’ curved, leaving them with a spectacular view across the valley below. Tilly joined her at the edge, her hands on her hips and her breathing slightly ragged. She whistled. ‘Phew, look at that!’ Katrina nodded, still casting her eyes over the landscape.

‘What’s that?’ she asked, pointing at an area about half a kilometre away speckled with small blue patches. Tilly frowned and got out her tricorder.

‘It’s hard to tell from here exactly, but my guess would be lots of small pools of water.’ Katrina turned to her.

‘Shall we go investigate?’ Tilly nodded and they set off down the hill.

After a short walk, they arrived at the pools. To their surprise, steam was rising from them, and Tilly turned her tricorder on the nearest large one.

‘The pool is four feet deep, water reads normal, approximately 39 degrees Celsius. No life signs. Hot springs of some kind?’ She stooped and dipped her hand in, sighing in pleasure at the temperature. ‘Now that’s my kind of water!’ Without another word, she shed her uniform and slipped in, an expression of bliss on her face. ‘Just come and get me when rescue comes, I’m good until then!’ Katrina chuckled and unzipped her jacket too. Tilly started to turn around but Katrina stopped her.

‘No, it’s ok, you don’t have to.’ Tilly leaned back against the side of the pool, not quite watching her but not looking away either. Ignoring the slight flutters brought on by the scrutiny, Katrina removed the rest of her uniform and slid quickly into the pool.

‘Those look better,’ Tilly remarked, indicating the bruises on Katrina’s side. She pushed off from her spot and approached. ‘May I?’ Katrina nodded mutely. Tilly ran her fingers slowly up her side, feeling everywhere there had been damage. Katrina shivered at the contact, acutely aware of how close she was standing. She could feel all the places she touched tingling even after her fingers had moved on. Tilly’s hands stopped just below her breasts and she stepped back.

‘They’re looking good,’ Tilly said, her voice not quite hitting casual, leading Katrina to believe she hadn’t been the only one affected by the interaction. ‘I can have another go with the regen unit later if you like, then they should be almost back to normal.’

‘Thanks,’ Katrina replied, not quite trusting herself to say more, and leaned back with her head on the side of the pool. She closed her eyes and breathed slowly, relaxing in the warm water until Tilly’s voice cut into her thoughts.

‘I can’t believe you made me get in that fucking stream when this was here the whole time.’

* * *

   
They stayed in the pool until Katrina said they should get out or they’d lose too many minerals, then reluctantly dragged themselves out of the water. The weather was slightly warmer today than it had been but still not hot, and both women were grateful to get their uniforms back on. Katrina tried not to dwell on the disappointment she felt when Tilly had zipped her jacket all the way back up and pushed it to the back of her mind to deal with later. They climbed back up to the ridge with the view and had their lunch there, looking down at the valley below. Tilly thought it was odd how little wildlife they had seen so far, so on the walk back to camp they kept their eyes open but didn’t see anything other than a few small birds.

‘At least we’re not constantly fighting off bears!’ was Tilly’s cheerful rejoinder. Katrina shot her a look.

‘If we’re suddenly inundated with attacks from local predators you know it’s entirely your fault.’

‘Oh, shush you!’ Tilly dismissed her concerns with a flap of the hand. Upon entering the campsite however, they were distracted by the blinking green light on top of the emergency beacon that signalled a new message. Tilly crossed to it and activated it. Captain Lorca’s voice filled the small clearing.

‘This is Captain Gabriel Lorca of the _USS Discovery_ responding to a distress signal. I presume this signal is being sent by Admiral Cornwell and Cadet Tilly, both of whom went missing several days ago. I am awaiting orders on whether we are to retrieve you ourselves or whether another ship will be sent – either way it’ll be at least another couple of days before we can reach you.’ There was a pause, and when he spoke again the tone of his voice had changed. ‘Sit tight Kat, we’ll be there soon. Lorca out.’

There was silence. Katrina stumbled to a log and sat down, for a moment hearing another voice telling her that she wasn’t being rescued and feeling the rising panic that she’d tried so hard to suppress. Then she felt gentle hands on her face and Tilly was with her, talking her through it and bringing her back to the present. She reached out blindly and clutched at her, breathing in her now familiar scent and grounding herself in the warmth of her body. Tilly stroked her hair and murmured reassuring words in her ear, and eventually Katrina pulled back.

‘Burnham left me,’ she whispered, not looking Tilly in the eye. ‘On the Klingon ship, she and Tyler found me but I couldn’t walk. She had a mission to complete so she had to leave me and I didn’t know if she’d come back.’ Tilly’s hand was under her chin, lifting her head so she was looking her directly in the eyes.

‘She got you out of there,’ Tilly said firmly. ‘You stayed strong until you were rescued, and you’re going to do the same this time. They will come for us, like they came for you before. And you’re not alone this time. You’ve got me, and I will not let this break you.’

* * *

   
The two women stayed close together that evening, huddling by the fire as the light slowly faded. Tilly’s declaration earlier had changed something between them and they didn’t talk much, choosing just to enjoy each other’s company in silence. Katrina had declined Tilly’s offer of another session with the regen unit, saying she felt a little fragile still and Tilly had accepted that. While this was true, Katrina was also nervous about the effect that letting the girl near her bare skin again might have. She could no longer deny her attraction to the younger woman; Tilly had proven herself to be smart, funny, kind and caring as well as incredibly attractive. The image of her as they got out of the hot pool earlier that day wouldn’t leave her alone and Katrina felt slightly guilty as her mind’s eye again traced the droplets of water that ran down the redhead’s neck, over her breasts and travelled on down her body. When night had almost completely fallen, Katrina stood and stretched, trying to hide the nervous anticipation she was feeling.

‘I’m going to turn in. You coming?’

‘Sure,’ Tilly nodded and followed her into the tent, turning to zip the door closed behind them. Once it was secure, she crawled over to Katrina. Lying down next to her, she wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close under the blankets. Katrina couldn’t help the sigh that escaped her as her body melted into Tilly’s. ‘Are you ok?’

‘Yeah,’ she breathed, already drifting. ‘Thanks.’

Tilly hummed against her neck, before gently pressing a kiss just below her ear. ‘Sleep now. I’ve got you.’


	4. Chapter 4

They didn’t have another nightmare free night but the dreams were milder than they had been. Katrina woke several times shaking and sweating, but each time Tilly was there. When she woke up in the morning, Katrina found herself draped over the girl with their legs tangled together. Tilly was absently playing with Katrina’s hair so she knew she was awake, but found she was too comfortable to move just yet. Instead she squeezed her tighter around the waist and felt Tilly’s answering smile.

‘Good morning. I was wondering when you were going to wake up.’ Katrina frowned.

‘Why, is it late?’

‘Not really. Just later than the last couple of mornings. Rough night?’

‘I’ve had worse. Thanks for looking after me.’ Tilly squeezed her.

‘You’re welcome. How about I do another round of regen while you wake up?’ Katrina still wasn’t keen on moving but allowed Tilly to shift far enough to get the unit. Once she had started, Katrina snuggled back in.

‘You’re cuddly this morning,’ Tilly chuckled. ‘I like it.’ She finished the regen then lay back down. Gently she ran her hand down the exposed skin she had just healed, stopping with it resting on Katrina’s hip. ‘Better?’ Katrina’s breath hitched.

‘Yeah, thanks,’ she managed. Tilly’s thumb started stroking gently across her skin and Katrina broke.

‘I hope you know what you’re doing to me Tilly.’ The girl’s voice was low as she responded and sent shivers up Katrina’s spine.

‘Believe me Kat, I know exactly what I’m doing.’

She slid her hand around Katrina’s waist, pulling Katrina towards her and pressing their mouths together. The kiss was gentle at first but quickly built in intensity as the two women tasted each other. When they pulled back, both were panting. Tilly’s eyes were bright, her cheeks were flushed and her lips swollen and moist. Katrina thought she had never seen anything more tempting. Tilly leaned forward and captured her lips again, before moving downwards and kissing a trail down Katrina’s neck. Katrina tensed and tried to pull back.

‘Wait,’ she gasped. Tilly stopped immediately, pulling back with an expression of concern.

‘Sorry, did I go too far?’

‘Just give me a minute.’ Tilly nodded and waited, chewing her lip while Katrina caught her breath and her thoughts. ‘First of all, before you start worrying, I _definitely_ want this. You’re beautiful, clever and you make me laugh. But I need to take this slowly. The last time I was with someone, it ended badly. After that, there was the Klingon ship. I don’t want to rush into things and risk hurting either of us.’ Tilly had blushed at the compliment but now she smiled as she laced her fingers with Katrina’s.

‘We’ll go at your pace then. Just let me know.’ Katrina responded by pulling her in for another kiss, sliding her tongue against Tilly’s lips until they parted for her. She took her time exploring, licking, sucking and nipping gently at her until the girl was moaning and clutching at her, then she pulled back. ‘Not fair,’ Tilly whimpered.

‘I never said I played fair,’ Katrina smirked and Tilly moaned again in response.

‘Tease,’ she whined.

‘Yep,’ replied Kat, totally unrepentant as she sat up. ‘Let’s get some breakfast.’

She threw a ration bar across the tent to land in Tilly’s lap. The girl huffed but sat up and started unwrapping it.

‘You do know I’m old enough to be your mother,’ Katrina remarked casually while they ate. Tilly snorted.

‘Gosh really, I hadn’t noticed.’ Katrina laughed and Tilly rolled her eyes. ‘So you’re a bit older than me, who cares?’

‘I’m also a Vice Admiral and you’re a Cadet,’ she pointed out.

‘We’ve still got a couple of days until we have to think about that. Right now, we’re just Tilly and Kat.’ When Katrina didn’t respond, she continued. ‘I like you, Kat. I mean, I really like you. You’re strong, smart and sexy as hell. I don’t care if you’ve got PTSD, you’re older than me and an admiral to boot, I still fancy the pants off you.’ Katrina laughed and Tilly smiled. ‘That’s better. Now let’s finish this shitty breakfast and go do something.’

As they finished eating they heard a loud beeping noise coming from outside. The two women looked at each other.

‘The beacon!’ exclaimed Tilly, and Katrina felt her stomach lurch.

‘Can you answer it? I don’t want to talk to Gabriel - tell him I’m resting if he asks.’ Tilly frowned but nodded and climbed out of the tent. Katrina followed as Tilly opened a channel.

‘This is Cadet Tilly.’

‘Good to hear your voice Cadet.’ The voice of Captain Lorca issued from the beacon. ‘Is Admiral Cornwell there with you?’

‘Yes sir, she’s resting at the moment though.’ If Katrina noticed the slight waver in Tilly’s voice for the lie, she doubted Gabriel would, especially at this distance.

‘Glad you’re both safe. We’re on our way to get you – we’ll be there in around 47 hours. We can’t jump at the moment.’

‘Is Lieutenant Stamets ok?’

‘He’s fine. You’ll get the full update when you get back Cadet.’

‘Understood sir. Tilly out.’ Tilly sat back on her haunches and looked at Katrina intently. ‘Ok, spill.’

Katrina sighed. ‘I should have known better than to think I’d get away with that one. Ok, come here.’ Tilly sat next to her and Katrina stared into the fire as she talked. ‘This is all confidential – you’re not to repeat any of this, but I owe you the truth before we go any further. Gabriel and I have known each other a long time. You’ve already heard my stories about what we got up to when we were young.’ She smiled briefly, then sighed. ‘The last time I saw Gabriel was when I came to _Discovery_. I was concerned about some of the decisions he’d been making and wanted to see how he was. He told me off for being too Starfleet, we had a drink and afterwards we went to bed. After, when he was sleeping, I touched him and he rolled over and aimed a phaser at me.’ Tilly inhaled sharply.

‘Jesus!’ Katrina nodded and continued.

‘I told him that wasn’t normal behaviour and he was clearly ill and would have to give up command. He begged me to reconsider but I walked out.’ Katrina took a deep breath. ‘The next thing I know, he’s recommended me to take Sarek’s place, I’ve walked straight into a Klingon trap and spent the next few weeks being tortured.’

‘Oh, Kat,’ breathed Tilly, pulling her into a hug. ‘I don’t know what to say,’ she admitted. Katrina pulled back.

‘Let’s go for a walk.’ Tilly studied her for a minute, then nodded.

‘Ok.’

* * *

   
They walked in the opposite direction from the previous day, and Katrina’s mood gradually got better as they walked. Tilly seemed happy to walk in silence until Katrina was ready, for which she was grateful. She soon found her thoughts drifting back to the younger woman, and surreptitiously watched her as they walked. The way Tilly started walking with a bounce in her step soon after made her think that maybe she’d been less subtle than she thought.

‘You know, if it wasn’t for the PTSD, this could almost pass for a holiday,’ she remarked, and Tilly grimaced.

‘Eww, really?’

‘What, you don’t like going for long romantic walks?’

‘Hmm, my idea of a nice romantic holiday involves a posh hotel with a huuuge bed.’ Katrina grasped Tilly by the hand and pulled her to a stop in front of her. She raised an eyebrow.

‘Oh really?’

‘Definitely. Maybe I’ll show you sometime.’

Tilly stepped closer and moved her hand up to cup Katrina’s jaw. Katrina leaned in and their lips met, sliding together easily. The kiss was slower this time, a lazy exploration rather than anything more needy. Eventually they pulled apart.

‘We should start heading back to camp or we’ll end up lost,’ Katrina said. Tilly smiled.

‘Somehow I can’t imagine you ever being lost.’

They walked more slowly back to their campsite, sometimes holding hands, sometimes stopping to exchange kisses. They reached the clearing just as night started to fall and spent a few minutes topping up the fire and collecting more wood before sitting down to eat some rations. Tilly eyed the bar with distaste.

‘You know, I’m really looking forward to eating something with a bit of texture when we get back.’

‘Beats the hell out of having to forage for food,’ Katrina remarked. ‘If you hadn’t managed to grab those bags we’d have been in a very different situation.’

‘Wanna show me how grateful you are?’ asked Tilly with a waggle of her eyebrows. Katrina raised hers in response and stood up. She walked purposefully across to where Tilly was sitting and lowered herself slowly so she was straddling the girl’s lap. Tilly’s eyes had gone wide and she swallowed, her gaze flicking down to Katrina’s lips and back up again. Katrina leaned forward and kissed her, rocking her body forwards into Tilly’s as she did so. She could feel the heat coming off the girl and her breasts pressed against her. She rocked her hips again and was rewarded with a whimper from Tilly. She pulled back and unzipped the redhead’s jacket, pulling it open and latching onto the bare skin at Tilly’s neck with her mouth. Tilly gasped and leaned her head back, one hand running through Katrina’s hair and the other clutching tightly at her hip. Katrina angled her body slightly to the side and slipped a hand between them, running it up under Tilly’s shirt until she found a nipple.

‘Kat,’ Tilly moaned as Katrina brushed it lightly with her thumb. She stayed there for a minute, exploring with her fingers and enjoying the reactions her touch elicited. She repeated the same attentions to the other side before trailing her hand downwards. Shifting backwards on Tilly’s lap, she moved her mouth to the girl’s breasts as she slipped her hand under the waistband of her trousers and between her legs. Tilly whimpered and spread them wider. Katrina stroked her gently at first, then faster as Tilly’s whimpers got louder and turned into full throated moans and begging. ‘God yes Kat, please, don’t stop!’ Her hand fisted in Katrina’s hair as Katrina slid her fingers inside her while continuing to stroke with her thumb. Tilly’s words became less and less coherent as she rutted against Katrina’s hand, desperately seeking her release. Katrina hummed around the nipple she was sucking as she twisted her fingers and Tilly came, her body arching as she gasped Katrina’s name. Katrina held her as she came down, then returned the languid kisses Tilly gave her.

‘That,’ she whispered shakily, ‘was fucking incredible.’ Katrina chuckled and leaned in to kiss her again. ‘Let me return the favour?’ Katrina shook her head and pulled back.

‘Not tonight,’ she replied. ‘It was enough to make you feel good tonight.’ Tilly chuckled slightly.

‘Well you certainly did that. Bed?’ Katrina nodded and got to her feet, holding out a hand to help Tilly up. The girl took it and pulled herself up, taking another kiss when she was level with Katrina. They settled themselves into their tent, climbing under the blankets and pulling each other close for a few more kisses before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

 


	5. Chapter 5

They woke slowly in the morning, still wrapped around each other. Katrina took the time to sift through her thoughts, trying to make a bit more sense of everything that had happened. When Tilly woke up fully a few minutes later, she was feeling a bit more together. Tilly greeted her with a grin and a sleepy kiss which Katrina was more than happy to return.

‘Good morning,’ Tilly said. ‘I didn’t notice any nightmares last night, are you ok?’ Katrina started.

‘No, I don’t remember any, and I didn’t even think of it until now!’ she remarked in surprise.

‘That’s good,’ Tilly replied with another kiss.

‘You don’t know how good,’ Katrina responded, marvelling slightly. ‘Listen, I think I should apologise for sending you mixed messages yesterday,’ she began, but cut off when the girl went totally rigid in her arms. ‘Oh woah no, nothing like that! I didn’t mean.. Oh fuck it,’ she gave in and kissed her instead. Slowly Tilly melted back against her and Katrina pulled back again. ‘Sorry,’ she said. ‘I didn’t think about how that might sound. I just meant I wanted to apologise for telling you I wanted to take things slowly and then jumping your bones.’ Tilly laughed out loud, finally relaxing and pulling Katrina back towards her.

‘You don’t need to apologise for that.’

‘No, but I want to. I thought that at the moment I didn’t want to be touched, but it’s not exactly that. I think I just need to retain a certain amount of control, and using that control to make you feel good reminded me of what human contact should be like.’

‘Kat,’ Tilly replied gently, ‘You really don’t need to explain. We said we’d go at your pace and we will.’ Then she grinned, ‘And if that involves you giving me the best orgasm of my life I really have no complaints.’ Katrina smirked.

‘The best orgasm of your life.. so far.’ Tilly’s eyes darkened in response. ‘I’m certainly not done with you yet.’ Katrina hooked a leg over Tilly’s to bring their bodies closer together and kissed her again, more hungrily than before. They pulled apart a few moments later, both breathing heavily. Katrina rolled onto her back. ‘Much as I’d like to, we probably shouldn’t spend all day in here or we’re going to have to do some heavy editing on our mission reports.’ Tilly laughed.

‘Can we go back to those springs we found a couple of days ago? I feel gross and I’d like to wash before _Discovery_ comes to find us.’ It was Katrina’s turn to laugh.

‘That is probably a really good idea,’ she agreed.

* * *

 Katrina set a faster pace on the walk back to the springs, not wanting to be totally out of shape when she got back to civilisation. It took them less time than they expected to get there and they arrived slightly sweaty and in even more need of a wash than when they set off. Tilly took out her tricorder to check that the pool was still an acceptable temperature, then tested it with her hand.

‘Yup,’ she announced cheerfully, ‘Still feels good to me. I’m going to try to wash my hair this time, if it doesn’t stay stuck in place when I take the bands out.’ Katrina chuckled and then watched, mesmerised, as Tilly coaxed her hair out of the two buns it had been in for the last few days and fluffed it out. Tilly saw her looking and grimaced. ‘I know, there’s a lot of it.’ Katrina stepped closer to her.

‘You’re beautiful,’ she said simply, before kissing her. When she went to take her clothes off however, she noticed Tilly watching her. ‘Oh I get it,’ she drawled, ‘This was all just an excuse to get me naked again!’ Holding Tilly’s gaze, she slowly drew the zipper of her jacket down and shrugged it off. She peeled her undershirt over her head, catching the girl’s eye again when it was off before pushing her trousers and underwear down her legs and stepping out of them. She stood for a moment on the side of the pool, enjoying the effect her little show had had on Tilly before getting in and beckoning to her. ‘Join me?’

Tilly had frozen still fully dressed as Katrina had stripped and now almost tripped over in her haste to get her clothes off. Katrina couldn’t help laughing as the girl blushed bright red.

‘Shut up, you,’ she grumbled as she slid into the water.

‘Make me,’ Katrina shot back, and Tilly wasted no time in doing so. Both women moaned as their bare skin came into contact under the water and their kisses became more heated. Tilly’s hands were resting on Katrina’s hips, obviously being careful not to push too far, and after a few minutes Katrina was desperate. ‘Tilly,’ she gasped, ‘Please god just touch me somewhere!’ Tilly chuckled and moved a hand up to cup one of her breasts. She moaned and pushed forwards. ‘Yes, please, more!’ Tilly moved her other hand up to the other side and slid a thigh between Katrina’s legs. Katrina responded immediately, rocking against Tilly in search of some friction.

‘Easy there,’ Tilly whispered, and brought a hand down to touch her. It only took a few strokes before she was coming, shuddering and gasping as her orgasm took her. She clung to Tilly as the shaking subsided, burying her face into her neck as her breathing returned to normal. Tilly pressed a kiss to the top of her head. ‘You ok?’

Katrina pulled back far enough to kiss her deeply in a slow meeting of lips and tongues. ‘Ok doesn’t quite cover it,’ she admitted. Tilly chuckled. When Katrina made an attempt to reciprocate however, Tilly pushed her hands away.

‘I’m good,’ she said gently. Katrina settled back and they stayed in each other’s hold for a while.

‘Do you need a hand washing your hair?’ Katrina asked eventually, disentangling herself. Tilly grimaced.

‘I’ll let you know.’ She stepped back into the middle of the pool and ducked under. Katrina lounged against the side, watching Tilly splashing about and feeling more relaxed than she had done in weeks. Eventually Tilly made her way back over, wet hair streaming down her back. ‘I’m all done. Shall we head back?’ Katrina nodded and Tilly climbed out of the pool. Katrina followed her, marvelling at the way Tilly’s body curved in all the right places. Tilly caught her looking and paused in the act of getting a blanket. ‘What?’

‘You’re gorgeous. You look like that Botticelli painting of Venus,’ Katrina replied. Tilly snorted.

‘I bet you say that to all the girls.’ Katrina laughed. They got themselves dry and dressed again and started back towards their campsite. They seemed to have formed some kind of unspoken agreement not to discuss what would happen when they got back, but instead talked about anything and everything else. The walk back took a lot longer than the walk there, neither woman wanting to rush to the end of their last day out on the planet. They reached their clearing just as night was falling and sat by the fire as the sun set.

‘I’ve actually really enjoyed being stuck on this planet,’ Tilly admitted. ‘I’ve never been big on the whole outdoors thing, but you might have converted me.’ Katrina smiled.

‘It was just shit timing,’ she sighed. ‘I’m normally much better company, but I’m not myself at the moment.’ Tilly squeezed her hand.

‘Well, when you’re all back to normal we’ll go get stuck somewhere else, and you can show me how badass you usually are.’ Katrina laughed.

‘Deal. Now let’s get inside. I want to take advantage of having you all to myself for one more night.’

The two women climbed into the tent and zipped it shut. Slowly they undressed each other, taking their time as they revealed the skin underneath. This time their love making was gentle, hands and mouths exploring each other’s bodies as if they had all the time in the world. They came together, sighing and moaning into each other’s mouths. Afterwards they dragged the blanket over themselves and fell asleep, still pressed together.


	6. Chapter 6

Katrina woke with Tilly’s arm around her waist and the girl’s legs tangled with hers. They were both still naked and she enjoyed the warmth of the skin to skin contact. From the light level outside the tent, she judged it was a little past dawn. Reluctantly she ran her hand down Tilly’s back, trying to wake her as gently as possible. Tilly snuggled closer in and Katrina chuckled quietly.

‘Rise and shine, sleeping beauty,’ she said. ‘We need to get up and get packed. _Discovery_ will be here soon.’ Tilly frowned and her eyes fluttered open.

‘I don’t wanna,’ she muttered sleepily. Katrina laughed and poked her in the side.

‘Tough shit. Now get up.’ Tilly huffed but rolled over and stretched. The blanket fell back and Katrina was momentarily distracted by the expanse of alabaster skin it revealed. Tilly swatted lightly at her thigh.

‘Stop perving,’ she said, sitting up and poking her tongue out. Katrina smirked and met her eyes.

‘It’s your own fault for being so damn sexy.’ Tilly blushed and Katrina sat up too, pulling her into a kiss before rummaging around for her uniform. ‘C’mon. Let’s get packed up.’

An hour later they were sitting on the log by the now dying fire. The tent had been packed away and all their supplies had been returned to the bags they came from. The two women were in correct uniform, Tilly’s hair had been returned to her regulation hairstyle and there was nothing left to do except wait for the shuttle. A few minutes later it came into view. Katrina put her hand on Tilly’s thigh and squeezed briefly before standing to watch the shuttle touch down. The hatch opened and three people came out.

‘Captain Lorca,’ Katrina said in greeting to the figure in front. She thought she saw him flinch minutely at her cold, professional tone and made sure to keep her own mixed feelings shut tightly away. ‘Good of you to come and get us.’

‘Admiral, Cadet,’ he addressed them both. ‘Sorry for the delay. Let’s get you back to _Discovery_.’ He gestured for Katrina to precede him up the ramp which she did, striding confidently past Lieutenant Tyler and taking a seat inside. Dr Culber joined her and began taking readings. She saw Lorca give Tilly’s shoulder a squeeze and ask if she was ok as she passed him, and her nod in reply. Whatever Lorca was, he did care about his crew.

The atmosphere inside the shuttle was odd. Tyler and Tilly were chatting enthusiastically, yet Katrina thought there was something a bit off with Tilly’s responses. Once the doctor had scanned Tilly as well and declared them both physically fit, if slightly undernourished, he joined the conversation. Katrina and Lorca were silent but Katrina could feel his eyes on her. She stared resolutely out of the window ahead and ignored him, listening with half an ear to Tilly’s exclamations as the men caught her up on the ship gossip.

On reaching the _Discovery_ , Tyler left them and Dr Culber escorted the women to the medical bay for a restorative hypospray. Tilly’s was administered quickly and she was released back to her quarters. She left, casting a lingering look back at Katrina as she did so but without a valid reason to stay. Katrina cursed internally – why had she not considered that they were unlikely to get a chance to speak alone once they were back on the ship? She didn’t get long to dwell on the matter though as Dr Culber approached and pulled the privacy screen around the bed. After putting a hypospray to her neck, he pulled out his PADD.

‘Admiral. You’ve checked out fine on all the physical tests, despite the injuries you sustained in the crash, but I’m worried about your mental health. You were supposed to be on your way to recover from being a prisoner and this can’t have helped.’ Katrina gave him a wry grin.

‘I’m well aware of that, Doctor. Cadet Tilly helped me while we were on the planet but I’d still like to see a specialist as soon as possible.’ Culber nodded in agreement.

‘Good. We’re on our way to Starbase 46 now. You’ll be transferred for treatment when we arrive in a few hours.’ Katrina thanked him, and Dr Culber threw a look towards the curtain. ‘The Captain would like a word, are you feeling up to talking to him?’ Katrina sighed.

‘Fine, send him in.’ The doctor hesitated, but after a second he nodded and left. Captain Lorca entered a moment later.

‘Kat,’ he said gently. ‘How are you?’

‘What do you think, Gabriel?’ she replied, and was pleased with how frosty her voice was. ‘I’ve just spent several weeks being tortured by Klingons, only to end up immediately stranded on an uninhabited planet. I’m not at my best.’ Lorca had flinched on the word torture, but now approached her.

‘I’m so sorry Kat.’

‘Sorry for what, Gabriel? Sorry I got captured? Sorry you set me up? Sorry that I’m still alive? You’ve got a hell of a nerve just walking in here and asking how I am! You’re lucky I haven’t got any way to prove my suspicions about what you did or I’d bust your ass back down to Ensign before you can say court martial!’ Lorca had been quiet to start, but as her anger built so did his.

‘What the hell Kat? Just what exactly are you accusing me of?’

‘I can’t accuse you of anything as you very well know!’

‘No, I don’t know! I don’t understand what’s going on here! I came in to see if my friend is alright and I instead I get my head bitten off!’ Katrina folded her arms against her chest and studied him. She’d got pretty good at reading Gabriel over the years, even if the last time hadn’t exactly fit the pattern. Still, the main read she was getting off him now was frustration and anger. He was pissed off at her ‘unreasonable’ behaviour, which indicated that he really hadn’t known. She felt some of the weight on her shoulders leave her and nodded.

‘Alright.’ His anger turned to confusion.

‘Alright? Kat, what’s going on?’ She dragged a hand down her face, suddenly weary.

‘It’s complicated. I don’t think I’ll be in touch for a while, Gabriel. Good luck with everything.’ She turned before he could stop her and strode out of the medical bay. Once she had gone far enough to be sure there were no signs of pursuit, she slowed her pace. That shouldn’t have been quite so unexpected; after all, she was on his ship. It was only natural for him to come and check on her. Now she just had to work out if he’d been telling the truth or not. Well, she’d work it all through with her therapist and see where she was afterwards. For now, she had more urgent matters to attend to. She found a panel on the wall and pressed the button.

‘Computer, where would I find the quarters of Cadet Sylvia Tilly?’

* * *

Katrina pressed the door chime and waited, suddenly nervous. After all, they’d never properly discussed what would happen once they returned to the real world – there had been comments, things implied, but now they were actually back things might be different. Tilly’s voice called ‘Come in,’ from the other side of the door. She depressed the panel again and stepped through. There were two people in there; Tilly was sitting on the edge of what Katrina presumed was her bunk, and Michael Burnham was standing next to her. They both looked slightly surprised to see her.

‘Admiral,’ Tilly greeted nervously. ‘This is Michael Burnham, my roommate.’

‘Admiral,’ Burnham nodded, and Katrina returned the greeting.

‘Burnham,’ she replied. ‘Good to see you again. I never got the chance to thank you for getting me off that Klingon ship. I’m truly grateful,’ she said sincerely, and received another nod in reply.

‘You’re welcome.’

‘Would you mind giving us a minute?’ Katrina asked. Burnham shot a glance at Tilly before answering.

‘Of course.’ She crossed to the door and exited, leaving the other two alone. Tilly stood at once and they met in the middle of the room.

‘Hey,’ said Tilly. ‘Are you ok?’ Katrina kissed her instead of answering and Tilly returned it with equal fervour.

‘I’m fine. You?’ Tilly smiled slightly.

‘Yeah.’

‘I talked to Gabriel,’ Katrina admitted. ‘I’m.. confused. I’m pretty sure he didn’t try to kill me on purpose. But I’ll talk to my therapist about it when I finally get to Starbase 46. We should be arriving soon.’ Tilly nodded.

‘That’s good.’ Then she frowned. ‘Is that good?’ Katrina laughed.

‘Yes, that’s good.’ She paused for a minute, unsure how to proceed, and looked around the room. ‘I’d forgotten how small these crew quarters are,’ she commented, and Tilly grimaced.

‘Tell me about it! I bet you get massive quarters with a king sized bed in yours,’ she complained, and then blushed. Katrina grinned.

‘Yeah, I do,’ she replied, stepping close to Tilly again. ‘I’ll show you sometime.’ For a moment they just stood, until Katrina took the plunge. ‘When I get back, I’m going to read every line of the fraternisation regs and make sure there aren’t going to be any problems with an Admiral dating a Cadet. That is, if you want to.’ Tilly’s face split into a broad grin.

‘I was so hoping we were on the same wavelength. Yes, I do. I’d really like to see if this works.’

‘We’ll make it work,’ Katrina promised, and kissed her. ‘I’m going to miss you,’ she admitted.

‘Me too,’ replied Tilly, ‘But you need to go recover from everything. I wish I could come with you.’

‘The cuddles definitely do help,’ agreed Katrina. ‘Maybe if the nightmares get worse again I’ll get you shipped over on a medical priority call.’ She meant it as a joke, but Tilly frowned and Katrina hurried to reassure her. ‘I’ll be fine. I’ll be back to normal in no time, and then we’ll go from there.’ Tilly pulled her into a hug.

‘Just look after yourself, ok?’

‘I will. Same to you though.’ Katrina gave her a mock stern glare. ‘No more getting stuck on random planets with women too old for you.’ Tilly snorted.

‘I’ll try. And we’ve been through this..’ she began, but Katrina cut her off.

‘I know.’ She kissed her again, more softly this time. Tilly pressed into her and they held each other, saying everything that couldn’t be said with words with their kisses. Eventually Katrina pulled back and glanced out of the window. ‘I’d better go,’ she said, and Tilly nodded reluctantly. ‘But I’ll call you, and I’ll see you soon. I will not let anything as petty as distance or regs get in the way of this.’ Tilly smiled, and Katrina couldn’t resist pulling her in for another kiss. ‘I’ll see you soon,’ she repeated, stepping back.

‘Get better,’ Tilly said, and Katrina nodded.

‘I intend to. And then you get to meet me properly, instead of this half arsed version that’s hanging around at the moment.’ Tilly laughed out loud.

‘There is nothing half arsed about you, Kat. But I look forward to it.’ Katrina grinned wickedly.

‘Just you wait.’ She kissed her again, swiftly but hard, then turned to leave while Tilly was still reeling. ‘See you later.’ She winked, pressed the door button and stepped through. For now, she was headed to Starbase 46. After that, who knew, but she’d be damned if she wasn’t taking a part of Sylvia Tilly with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this is finally finished - let me know what you thought! I’m not done with this universe yet; there will definitely be other, probably shorter, snippets about these two as I quite like them now. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!


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